Embarrassing admission… I’ve been overlooking this trail for years because I thought it was the same as the Cutthroat Lakes in the North Cascades… 🤦🏻‍♂️ We really need to rename or at least number some of these hikes! Lol.

Anyway, had an awesome day going up to Cutthroat Lakes then summiting Bald Mountain!

Road: Actually really good?!? It’s narrow in spots but no traumatic potholes for my sedan. The trailhead doesn’t really have much room for parking.. it pretty much just starts at the end of the road and there isn’t even a pullout. Parking is on the side of the road but it’s narrow. I think turning around here would be stressful on a busy day but thankfully I went on a Monday and there was only one car. I passed the owners of the car about a mile in and otherwise I was alone all day!

Facilities: none at the trailhead and one almost full to the brim portable toilet at Lower Cutthroat Lake. I recommend using the portables at the Verlot ranger station or one of the toilets at one of the more developed trailheads on the way in. 😬

Trail: Fairly steep, but honestly it’s not the steepness that got to me so much as the slickness! After a rainy weekend I encountered water flowing down the trail, mud, slippery rocks and roots.. I was mostly ok in waterproof hiking boots with decent grip and hiking poles but I did have two minor falls.. one of which got my butt wet through to my underwear. 😂 Trail was otherwise in good condition to the lakes, just bear in mind that it’s steep and slippery when wet. Past the lakes the trail is not maintained and is quite overgrown in spots with blueberry bushes. I didn’t find it terribly difficult to follow, but the bushes got my pants pretty wet! Bald Mountain ends in a fun/light scramble.. easier in my opinion than Mcclellan Butte or the Haystack at Mount Si. The views of Spada Lake from Bald Mountain were awesome! Well worth the extra effort, even though I had to almost run back down to make it in time for my evening plans.

WTA volunteers are assisting the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) this summer by conducting surveys of visitors on trails in the Morning Star Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA).  I will be out on the Cutthroat Lakes trail on Tuesday, September 21st.  If you are heading that way, I'll be happy for an opportunity to speak with you about your plans and/or experiences there.

(Please disregard my notes regarding trail conditions; they are required to submit this report and will be updated with actual observations after the 6th.)

I hadn't been to visit the Cutthroat Lakes or Bald Mountain yet this year, so I set out to remedy the situation.  As others have reported, the road to the TH has been resurfaced and is now smooth and mostly pothole-free.  Any vehicle can make it at this point.  There also appears to be a whole new road carved into the forest just after the initial turn onto Mallardy Road from Mountain Loop Highway.  A logging road, maybe?  The trailhead is small, with room for only 2 or 3 cars.  A few additional pullouts line the road about 100 yards back from the TH.  Please don't park in the turnaround at the end of the road.

The trail is in great shape thanks to regular maintenance, but it is still rough going thanks to high step-ups/downs, lots of rocks and roots.  A few down trees cross the trail but they are easy to maneuver under, over or around.  The first stream crossing is a muddy trampled mess and has been for a few years.  With the increasing popularity of this trail, though, it is getting worse, with a new social trail cutting through the pocket meadow, and a wide swath of the creek pounded into oblivion.  Building a small puncheon bridge or placing more stepping rocks here would help to alleviate pressure on the creek and meadow.  The second stream crossing (at the 'big' meadow) looks like it will have a bridge over it soon, as evidenced by flagging and some preliminary excavation.  I suggest a gracefully arching wooden bridge with images of cougar, raven and deer carved into the handrails, but something tells me the DNR isn't going to work that into the budget.  :(

The trail is easy to follow all the way to the lake basin, with only a few more blow downs to cross before you reach the first of many tarns in the Cutthroat Lakes area.  First time visitors, keep in mind that this first little lake you reach is not one of the main lakes.  The picture on this hike's info page is actually of this "false" tarn.  This first lake is called Melucky Tarn *cough*; the Cutthroat Lakes are a little farther along the trail.  When you see a green porta-potty you will know you have arrived.

If continuing up to Bald Mountain, the trail becomes somewhat overgrown and difficult to follow in places. Social trails meander all over the basin and ridge, making things even more bewildering. The trick is to follow the western shore of Upper Cutthroat Lake (the one w/the island) toward the ridge east of Bald Mtn's summit. You can easily see the summit and ridge from here. You know you are going the right way once you start climbing up and away from the lakes. Oh, and you will be heading the opposite direction from the mountain, if you weren't already confused enough. The trail is narrow and choked with overgrowth in places. You will have to push through tree branches and berry bushes. It will feel like you're getting yourself lost on some abandoned path but you are going the right way. After cresting the ridge, the trail turns back toward Bald Mtn and comes to an easy-to-miss junction. Right leads to the summit, straight leads down an abandoned trail for two miles to the old parking lot for the Cutthroat Lakes. There is an old, busted sign on the ground that marks the turnoff but that's also easy to miss. If you suddenly find yourself hiking down the east side of the ridge, you've gone too far. Once past the junction the trail passes through meadows strewn with white boulders. The approach to the summit is steep, rocky and exposed. Some hikers may not be comfortable with the trail conditions past this point. For those who persevere, the views from the top are excellent.  Feel free to sign the Mountaineers summit register!  It's in a PVC tube wrapped in a plastic bag and stuffed under a rock at the summit.

The berries are ripe and the fall colors are beginning to creep in.  The huckleberries were good but I found the blueberries to be quite acidic.  I passed a couple parties heading back from camping at the lakes, but otherwise had the place to myself on a Monday.

Summary: ~10miles RT w/~3000ft elevation gain; ~6 hours hiking time + 1 hour break at the summit.  Critters: cougar track in the mud, potential bear track on trail, up-close pika encounter, hawks, ravens, crows, pigeons, grouse, frogs, tadpoles, 2 dogs, 4 humans, one very large garter snake and a deer on the forest road while driving home.

Just FYI for anyone gearing up for some trail work on the WB. In first half mile: a couple of trees down that a few cuts with a larger bow saw could probably take care of. A short rotten log across the trail looks difficult to remove, but WTA experts will surely find a way. We managed to dislodge a few smaller ones. A little farther up, a much bigger/longer deadfall straddles the trail obliquely and somewhat precariously. Easy to get around, but doesn't appear much is holding it in place. A couple of burly volunteers with rock bars (or wood poles) could probably roll it off the trail before it squishes someone. Four of us spent an hour or so "gardening" on the beauteous Bald Mt Trail above the upper lake, clipping away most of the veg overhanging the trail and heaving another deadfall off the trail, so it's now in generally great shape to the saddle (we did not go beyond the upper trail junction due to heavy fog and no views). Wish more folks would carry small hand pruners, it's such an easy way to help out. Carry them in your hand, not in your pack.

But boy, the rocky sections of the WB sure do need some major work! The DNR should get a contractor up there to do some of the tougher stuff, perhaps including short reroutes to avoid the worst of it--a bit much to ask of volunteers. Also, can someone tell the DNR that we can do without the unsightly portapotties in backcountry areas (btw, the one at lower Cutthroat is full). Wilderness-style bench toilets would be far superior in an area like this--say, two at the upper lake and one at the lower. The oversized info signs (e.g., Ashland Lakes) also seem out of place. Okay at the trailhead, but not in the backcountry. Hope we can reestablish the old Bald Mt. Trail to Ashland Lakes. It was a great hike 15 years ago.

I spent the day on the Walt Bailey trail to Cutthroat Lakes, interviewing hikers on behalf of the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  I spoke with over 20 people and am grateful for their willingness to share information and observations.  WTA volunteers expect to make a couple more surveying outings on the trail this season.  We will continue to announce our presence in advance of such trips.

Other reports mention the absence of a forest service road sign at the turn-off from the Mountain Loop highway.  It's signed "Mallardy Road" - immediately after milepost 18 and before the "red" bridge (which looks pink to this writer). The road to the trailhead is in excellent condition.  There are a few minor potholes in the last mile or so before the trailhead.

The "minor obstacles" noted with regard to trail conditions refers to a few easily passable logs, some exposed rock surfaces, and a number of big steps resulting from tread erosion.  The trail is a bit brushy in places - nothing serious.  Exposed roots and rocks call for particular care in some areas, especially as fall weather brings wetter conditions and slippery footing.